1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a method of establishing a connection for a communications network, an exchange, a service computer for a communications network, as well as a communications network.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A known method of establishing a connection in a communications network when two or more terminals are assigned to a user group comprises the steps of sending a call request from a calling terminal to a called terminal which is assigned to the user group and, in response to a request from the other terminal, or from one of the other terminals of the user group, establishing a connection between the calling terminal and the requesting terminal.
Such a generic method of establishing a connection is currently used above all in private branch exchange areas.
The invention starts with the xe2x80x9cCall pickupxe2x80x9d service feature which is available to the user of ISDN-capable private branch exchanges and is described for example in the overview of private branch exchanges xe2x80x9cSystem 12B, Communications System SEL 5630xe2x80x9d on page 12 of issue 3.85.
This service feature makes it possible within an authorized group to let calls arriving at one terminal to be picked up by another terminal of the group. If a call arrives at a terminal of the group the call is announced by a bell signal for example. By selecting the service feature via another terminal of the group it then becomes possible to have this terminal pick up the call. Carrying out this procedure results in the immediate pickup of the call by the pickup-terminal, i.e. a connection between the calling terminal and the pickup terminal is immediately established when this service feature is selected.
However the use of this method of establishing a connection for terminals of a user group brings with it the disadvantage that it is not possible to check whether the acceptance of the call by another terminal of the user group is useful.
The invention has the task of enabling a user-friendly connection to terminals which are assigned to a user group.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method of establishing a connection in a communications network wherein two or more terminals are assigned to a user group, comprising the steps of sending a call request from a calling terminal to a called terminal which is assigned to the user group, and in response to a request from a requesting terminal of the user group, establishing a connection between the calling terminal and the requesting terminal, is characterized in that prior to the step of establishing the connection between the calling terminal and the requesting terminal, data for determining the calling terminal is sent to the requesting terminal or to at least one of said two or more terminals assigned to the user group.
According to a second aspect of the invention, an exchange comprising at least one interface unit for interfacing to a plurality of terminals, means for assigning two or more terminals to a user group, means for detecting a call request from a calling terminal to a called terminal assigned to the user group, and a call control unit for initiating, in response to a request from a requesting terminal from among the two or more terminals of the user group, an establishment of a connection between the requesting terminal and the calling terminal when such a call request is detected, is characterized in that the exchange further comprises means for sending data to terminals, and that the call control unit is for causing data for determining the calling terminal to be sent to the requesting terminal or to at least one of the two or more terminals of the user group prior to the establishment of the connection between the calling terminal and the requesting terminal.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a service computer for a communications network, comprising an interface for interfacing to at least one exchange, means for assigning two or more terminals to a user group, means for detecting a call request from a calling terminal to a called terminal assigned to the user group, and a call control unit for initiating, in response to a request from a requesting terminal of the user group, establishment of a connection between the requesting terminal and the calling terminal when such a call request is detected, is characterized in that the service computer further comprises means for sending data to terminals, and that the call control unit is for causing data for determining the calling terminal to be sent to the requesting terminal or to at least one of the two or more terminals of the user group prior to the establishment of the connection between the calling terminal and the requesting terminal.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a communications network comprises a service provider for controlling an establishment of a connection to terminals of the communications network in accordance with the methodology of the first aspect of the present invention.
The basic idea of the invention is that data about the origin of the incoming call are sent to one or to several terminals of the user group before the call is accepted. This makes it possible to selectively accept calls in another terminal of the user group through a corresponding logic in the terminal or by displaying these data. This makes it possible for example to accept only external calls (customer calls) but not to process internal calls.
Another advantage of the invention is that this allows using determined other service features, such as xe2x80x9ccall listingxe2x80x9d. The use of these service features together with the existing xe2x80x9ccall pickupxe2x80x9d service feature was not possible until now.